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Devin: What is your superpower?
Anne: I tend to question everything.
Jiminy’s is proving that cricket protein can help dogs live healthier lives while cutting the carbon pawprints of America’s pets.
Anne Carlson, founder and CEO of Jiminy’s, has built a purpose-driven company around an idea that sounds surprising until you hear the science. Jiminy’s makes dog food, treats and dental chews using insect protein. Anne explained the mission simply: “At Jiminy’s, we help dogs live longer, healthier lives on a greener planet.”
The environmental case is powerful. Anne shared that a UCLA study found that 25 to 30 percent of the environmental impact of meat consumption in the United States comes from dogs and cats. Replacing traditional animal protein in pet food with insect protein can reduce land use, water use and greenhouse gas emissions.
For Anne, the mission began at home. “I had this conversation with my daughter, and she really hit me with a bombshell,” she told me. “She told me that she didn’t want to have kids. And the reason was she was worried about what the world would be like by the time those kids grew up.”
That moment changed her career path. She had worked in the pet industry and knew there was room for innovation. Then she saw a United Nations study suggesting insects could help address world hunger. She ordered dry-roasted crickets online and offered them to her dogs.
“The dogs went crazy for it,” Anne said. “As soon as they started drooling, I knew we had something that we could work with.”
Anne Carlson will be speaking at SuperCrowd26 featuring PurposeBuilt100™️! Jiminy’s is one of the inaugural PurposeBuilt100™ winners, recognizing its purpose-driven growth and impact. Register now to watch his session live.
What impresses me most is that Jiminy’s is not just a clever brand with a fun name. Anne and her team have invested in science. They worked through FDA and AAFCO processes to demonstrate digestibility, palatability and real health benefits. Anne said the protein has been shown to support the microbiome, skin and coat health and even oral health.
That science has translated into products dogs love and pet parents can feel good about buying. Jiminy’s has won industry recognition for its food, treats and dental chews while growing distribution online and in independent pet stores.
Anne is showing that purpose and growth can run together. By asking better questions about what we feed our pets, she is helping build a healthier future for dogs and the planet they depend on.
tl;dr:
Jiminy’s uses cricket protein to create sustainable pet food that reduces environmental impact.
Anne’s climate concern for her daughter inspired her purpose-driven entrepreneurial journey.
Science-backed benefits for dogs include improved gut health, oral health, and overall wellness.
Jiminy’s has earned industry recognition for its eco-friendly pet food innovations and growth.
Anne’s superpower is questioning everything and tenaciously pursuing innovative solutions.
How to Develop Question Everything As a Superpower
Anne’s superpower is Question Everything. She told me, “I tend to question everything,” adding that she is “curious” and likes “to understand how things work.” That habit is not passive. Anne continues to ask, “What else can we do? How else can we have impact?” For her, the question is only the beginning. She emphasized that it is “not just ask the question, but then follow up,” because when a path emerges, “you’ve got to be tenacious to get it done.”
Anne illustrated her superpower with a discovery that began on her floor at home. Her older dog Tuco was breathing in her face, and she wondered, “How the heck does Tuco have good breath?” She opened his mouth and saw white teeth. Because she was not giving him dental chews, she asked her scientists whether insect protein could be affecting his mouth. They hypothesized that medium-chain fatty acids might be responsible. Anne kept pushing. The company conducted a study, proved the oral microbiome benefit and relaunched dental chews that later won a major innovation award.
Be fully present when talking with people so you notice ideas worth exploring.
Do not let questions pass through your mind without asking them out loud.
Probe for the underlying reason when something surprises you or does not make sense.
Use science, data and expert partners to test your hypotheses.
Follow up on promising questions with tenacity until you discover whether they lead somewhere useful.
Keep asking how your work can create more impact for customers, animals and the planet.
By following Anne’s example and advice, you can make questioning everything a skill. With practice and effort, you could make it a superpower that enables you to do more good in the world.
Remember, however, that research into success suggests that building on your own superpowers is more important than creating new ones or overcoming weaknesses. You do you!
Guest Profile
Anne Carlson (she/her):
Founder & CEO, Jiminy’s, Inc.
About Jiminy’s, Inc.: Jiminy’s is disrupting the pet industry; fighting climate change as we feed our pets. We make sustainable dog food and treats using a novel protein source - insect protein! Jiminy’s products nourish our pets and promote long-term stewardship of the earth.
Website: jiminys.com
Company Facebook Page: facebook.com/jiminysforpets
Biographical Information: Meet Anne Carlson – the dog-loving entrepreneur who’s revolutionizing pet food by thinking outside the (kibble) box! As the founder of Jiminy’s, she’s on a mission to make dog food and treats that are both tail-waggingly delicious and planet-friendly, using – wait for it – cricket protein! Her innovative approach is turning heads in the pet industry, with Jiminy’s racking up impressive recognition in 2024: snagging the Pet Innovation Award for Best Dry Dog Food with Good Grub, winning Pet Age Magazine’s Editor’s Select Award for their mouthwatering Sweet Potato & Peas Training Treats, and scoring Pet Product News Magazine’s Editor’s Choice Award for their game-changing Dental Chews! When she’s not leading her award-winning company, you might find Anne geeking out over insect agriculture (yes, she literally wrote the scientific playbook for cricket protein in dog food!). Her groundbreaking work earned her the 2019 Entrepreneur of the Year award, but her real critics are her four-legged taste-testers: Tuco and Timber, her beloved pups. Before becoming the “Cricket Queen” of pet food, Anne was a corporate powerhouse at Big Heart Pet Brands and founded Secant (which she later sold to IRI). She’s got the brains to back her vision – with degrees from Wash U and NYU – but these days, she’s focused on changing the world one sustainable kibble at a time. When she’s not disrupting the pet food industry, Anne’s hanging with her family in Berkeley, CA, where her husband Eric and daughter Boothe have learned to embrace her passion for sustainable pet parenthood!
Personal Facebook Profile: facebook.com/anne.t.carlson
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/annetcarlson/
Instagram: @jiminysforpets
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